Patna police narrate how they went undercover, turned 'astrologers', dared Mumbai cops in order to evade quarantine and record statements in their parallel probe in Sushant case
Shirish Vaktania (MID-DAY; August 8, 2020)

The four-member team of Bihar police who came to Mumbai to investigate the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput 'questioned several people in Bollywood disguised as astrologers', and gave the city cops, who were on their tail, the slip every time. They finally left the city with the statements and 'evidence' on Thursday. Bihar police also claimed that Rhea Chakraborty, accused in the abetment of suicide case, had left her house 'after learning that we were coming to Mumbai, and hid in her Bandra flat'.

Investigating officer Qaisar Yasin (right), who was heading the Bihar police team probing the abetment of suicide case against actor Rhea Chakraborty, said they had to devise their own techniques and use 'jugaad' to investigate the case in Mumbai.

The Bihar police claim the officers collected all the evidence and statements they needed for the case before leaving on Thursday.

'We Realised They Won't Help'
"After reaching Mumbai on July 28, we realised that the local police won't help us in the investigation. So, we dressed up as astrologers and entered the world of Bollywood, and spoke to several people in the industry in connection with Rajput's death," Yasin told mid-day over the phone.

"Around 36 hours prior to our arrival in the city, we asked our informers to tail Chakraborty and they used to give us regular information about her. When we approached the Bandra police, they refused to give the recorded statements. We then decided to use jugaad that comes in handy in Bihar all the time. We got costumes and became astrologers and met several people and recorded their statements," Yasin said.

'They're Tracing Our Numbers'
The officer added that the Mumbai police were tracing their mobile phone numbers, so with the help of their colleagues in Bihar, they changed the settings and diverted the phone locations elsewhere.

"We gave them an open challenge to trace, catch and quarantine us, but they failed." "Many Mumbai police officers were also after us, but even they couldn't find us."

Bihar police also revealed that Chakraborty had left her house "after learning that we were coming to Mumbai for the investigation, and hid in her Bandra flat".

"She was hiding under the Bandra police's jurisdiction," Bihar police added.

Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey (below) told mid-day over the phone that the officers had to use jugaad because there was a lack of cooperation from Mumbai cops. "Mumbai police didn't help us, but our officers managed to get all the information. We can't disclose what we have collected. If Mumbai police had helped us, our officers wouldn't have to use other ways to investigate." Several calls and messages to Mumbai police for comment went unanswered.

Patna City SP Leaves City
Patna City Superintendent of Police Vinay Tiwari, who was released from quarantine by the BMC on Friday, said, "The case has now been transferred to the CBI. My team did their best and managed to collect the information that we needed. We will share all the information with the CBI." He left the city in the evening soon after being released from the quarantine. Rajput was found dead in his Bandra home on June 14. The actor's father, Krishna Kishore Singh, filed a case in Patna on July 25.

Debashish Karmakar & V Narayan (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 6, 2020)

Patna/Mumbai: Bihar police have indicated they may move court for the release of IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, currently put under home quarantine by the BMC here till August 15.

“If our officer is not released by Thursday, we may move court,” DGP Gupteshwar Pandey told TOI, adding, he would wait to see if BMC authorities changed their mind after adverse observations made by Supreme Court on Wednesday on the Patna SP’s quarantine. Tiwari was quarantined late Sunday after he reached Mumbai to lead the investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

Responding to Patna IG (central range) Sanjay Singh’s letter seeking exemption from home quarantine, BMC’s additional municipal commissioner (projects) P Velrasu said in view of the prevailing Coronavirus pandemic, the officer (Tiwari) was advised to conduct his proceedings with Maharashtra government officials via video conferencing facility. “This will not only ensure the officer does not transmit the infection (if at all he is asymptomatic)… nor he gets infected by Coronavirus during his physical visit to various officers of the government of Maharashtra in Mumbai,” the letter reads, a copy of which is with TOI.

A senior BMC official told TOI, “Tiwari should have sought exemption before reaching the city and he didn’t have a return ticket too.” Now, Tiwari will have to complete the quarantine period till August 15, he said. If Tiwari had produced a return ticket showing he was returning in seven days, exemption could have been granted. BMC officials are also searching for four other Bihar cops who are in the city as part of the probe. “They will also be quarantined,” he further said.—

Under CrPC rules, Mumbai police have sole jurisdiction over the case, it says; state government likely to submit this view in SC on Wednesday
Shruti Ganapatye (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 4, 2020)

The Maharashtra government will back a single investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput case, conducted by the Mumbai police, after seeking the opinion of its law department. A source in the home department told Mirror, “The Mumbai police will pursue the case as per the law. There is no question of handing over papers pertaining to the case to the Bihar police.”

There have been two investigations into the actor’s death since July 25, when the Bihar police registered an FIR in Patna on a complaint by Rajput’s father K K Singh, accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty and five others of abetting his son’s suicide. The Bihar police began its probe without informing the Mumbai police and last week sent a team to the city for the investigation, sparking a controversy between the two states.

Following this, the Maharashtra government sought the opinion of its law and judiciary department, which said in a note to the home department that under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) rules, an offence must be investigated by the police in whose jurisdiction it was committed. The state government is likely to submit this legal view to the Supreme Court on August 5, where it has filed a caveat in a case filed by actress Rhea Chakraborty seeking to transfer the FIR lodged against her in Patna to Mumbai.

The legal note, accessed by Mumbai Mirror, says, “As per the provisions of chapter XII of Criminal Procedure Code as well as the provisions of chapter XIII of the Criminal Procedure code, an offence is supposed to be investigated, inquired and tried by the police and the court within whose local jurisdiction the offence is committed. So, if a complaint is received by the Patna police about an offence committed in Mumbai, then Patna police could register an offense by zero number and send it to the appropriate police station (in the present case Mumbai Police) for investigation.”

In the Bihar police’s FIR, filed at Rajiv Nagar Police Station in Patna, Chakraborty, three of her family members and two others have been booked under sections 306 (abetting suicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the tussle between the two states continues. On Sunday, the BMC placed a senior Bihar police official under quarantine for 14 days upon his arrival in Mumbai. Patna City superintendent of police Vinay Tiwari had come to the city to supervise the Bihar police’s probe but had his hand stamped and will remain under quarantine for two weeks at the State Reserve Police Force quarters in Goregaon. Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey alleged that Tiwari had been “forcibly quarantined”.

However, a BMC official told Mirror that this was not the case. The official said, “Being a domestic air traveller, (Tiwari) needed to be placed under home quarantine as per the state government’s guidelines. Accordingly, a (BMC) team approached him at the guesthouse on Sunday evening. They explained to him the procedure for domestic air travellers, including home quarantine, in the state government’s notification dated May 25. He has also been guided to apply to the competent authority (BMC) for exemption from the home quarantine period as per the state government’s notification.”

—With inputs from Linah Baliga

THE TIMES OF INDIA (August 4, 2020)

Mumbai/Patna: A day after Mumbai civic authorities quarantined Patna SP Vinay Tiwari, its staff launched a search for four Bihar cops, who are also in the city for the probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput case. A source said the cops stayed put at their current location on Monday to avoid surveillance.

Restricting the movements of the IPS officer, who is in town to probe the abetment to suicide case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has evoked strong reactions from Bihar government though BMC said it went by the rule book.

Based on a complaint by Sushant’s father, the team was deputed to Mumbai; Tiwari’s brief was to lead the team. On his arrival at an SRPF guest house in Goregaon – where arrangements were made for his stay – the officer was informed that it would not be possible for him to step out for 14 days.

Regarding the other cops, a BMC official said, they had said on arrival that they were on an assignment and would return as early as possible, but not that they were in town to probe the Sushant case. “There was a breach of protocol. We are looking for them. As per rules, they must be quarantined,’’ he said.

However, Bihar SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma said BMC’s action raises questions.“Why hasn’t BMC home-quarantined the Patna SIT team since July 27?’’ Tiwari said he was allowed to exit Mumbai airport after landing on Sunday at 4 pm following a temperature scan. Speaking of his confinement at the guest house, he said, “I told the BMC officials that an IPS officer on official duty cannot be quarantined in this manner. However, they cited an order of their senior authorities. I immediately brought the matter to the notice of my seniors in Patna.” Tiwari eventually allowed the BMC team to stamp him with the ‘home quarantined’ tag around 11.45pm.

Both the Bihar chief minister and DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, questioned the BMC’s action. “Whatever happened (with the SP) is not right… DGP Pandey has full information about the incident and he will speak to his counterpart in Maharashtra,” said Nitish Kumar. He described it as a case of “forced quarantining”, but said he would not take it up with his Maharashtra counterpart as it was not a “political issue”. “It is the legal responsibility of Patna police to investigate the case,” he said. Nitish avoided commenting on whether there would be a CBI inquiry into the Bollywood actor’s suicide case.

The DGP has now directed the Bihar police to lodge a protest. “The BMC commissioner would be asked to give exemption in order to free the IPS officer from home quarantine as he is on duty,” Pandey said. He said Maharashtra rules on quarantine allow the administration to exempt those involved in essential work. Refusing comment on Patna police’s jurisdiction in the case, he said, “The matter is pending in Supreme Court.”

BMC issued a statement to clear the air. It said Tiwari was “guided for home quarantine” as per guidelines for domestic flyers and has been asked “to apply to the competent authority of MCGM for exemption”.

City police chief Param Bir Singh denied he had a role and said it was a BMC decision.

BJP leader in BMC Vinod Mishra alleged that the state government was using BMC to derail the probe.
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ED records statement of CA, will call Rhea next

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 5, 2020)

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded the statement of a chartered accountant Sandeep Sridhar on transactions related to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Shridhar was Rajput’s CA; ED will continue his questioning. A source said the ED asked Shridhar to submit more documents related to Rajput’s bank account. The source said the ED will call Rhea and her brother for questioning next.

An ED team visited a flat in Navi Mumbai which was mentioned as a registered office address of two companies that Rajput owned with Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik.

Sources said there was around Rs 15 crore in Rajput’s account till last year and they are looking at transactions linked to it. Earlier Shridhar told Mumbai police that there were no suspicious transactions from Rajput’s accounts. A source said, “The ED is enquiring about the source of money and its diversions. It is examining account details of all who received money from Rajput’s accounts or companies associated with him.”

The companies ED is investigating are Vividrage Rhealityx and Front India For World Foundation.